A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

ALASKA FOR CHRISTMAS Book Review

Is it even Christmas if we’re not reading holiday rom-coms?  And I don’t think you can get any more in the holiday spirit than by going to Alaska for Christmas.   What’s Alaska for Christmas about? Alaska for Christmas is a Christmas rom-com about Isla, who gets amnesia during a glacier hike (umm, what???) and ends up falling for her rescuer, Coast Guard office Aaron, who also happens to be her childhood nemesis. Isla (love that name!)...

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Book Review

Home for Christmas by Holly Chamberlin wasn't my favorite Christmas book ever. But, it definitely wasn’t the worst.  You know how some holiday stories can get overly saccharine? Home for Christmas is like that. Just a little. The two daughters are just a little too perfect. The main relationships in the book are just a little too on the nose. And, everything gets tied up a little too neatly in the end. But, hey. It’s Christmas, right? WE...

CHRISTMAS CHARMS Book Review

 Christmas Charms came into my life right when I needed it the most.   The different types of Christmas books I was sifting through the library stacks for a holiday book that would make me feel “Christmassy.” A book where, like, the biggest problems are getting all the children’s toys wrapped in time, or making sure the Christmas cookies aren’t pulled from the oven too early. My search for the perfect Christmas read taught me that a...

AUNT DIMITY’S CHRISTMAS Book Review

I had mixed feelings as I was reading Aunt Dimity’s Christmas. When I started reading the book, I wasn't quite sure I was going to post a review for it. In the end, this well-meaning story is one I wanted to share with you all for the holiday season.    What's Aunt Dimity's Christmas about? Aunt Dimity's Christmas isn't my first book in this Cotswolds crime-solving series, so I knew a little bit of what I was getting myself into with this...

CHRISTMAS JOY Book Review

Christmas Joy by Nancy Naigle is the perfect book to sink into over the holiday season. Last year, I basically swiped right on a bunch of Christmas books available from my local library. My six weeks leading up to Christmas were spent reading about nothing but candy canes, cookies, holiday décor, and small-town romance. There were some hits and some misses, but Christmas Joy is definitely one of the highlights from that book stack.  ...

N0S4A2 Book Review

N0S4A2 is a Christmas book in the way that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. It's a horror novel that just so happens to be centered around Christmas. There are all the entrancing, alluring elements of the holidays that we love: carols, trees decorated with ornaments, and the smell of gingerbread in the air. But, author Joe Hill doles out each charming tidbit with a sinister twist that morphs the innocent into something incredibly dark and...

CHRISTMAS SHOPAHOLIC Book Review

Christmas Shopaholic may be the best Christmas book I've read in a long time. It might also be the best book in Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series I've read in a long time. On both counts, nothing could have surprised me more.   What's Christmas Shopaholic about? This newest installment in the Shopaholic series stars our girl Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood). Becky is a loveably ditzy but well-meaning woman with a slight...

THE MERRIEST MAGNOLIA Book Review

Even though The Merriest Magnolia sounds like a Christmas book, and the beautiful cover makes it look like a Christmas book… it’s not what I would call a true Christmas book. And, I really liked that about it.   What's The Merriest Magnolia about? Author Michelle Major’s newest installment of The Magnolia Sisters series kicks off just before Thanksgiving. The Merriest Magnolia ushers us into the Yuletide season by letting...

WINTER SOLSTICE Book Review

Clear your weekend, Tartlets. In fact, clear your week. Because Winter Solstice is a book you want to read slooooowly, savoring every word and turn of the page. I discovered this 2011 novel by Rosamunde Pilcher on a list of holiday reads from Modern Mrs Darcy. It was the most recommended book by her readers, and it didn’t take me long to figure out why.   What's Winter Solstice about? Winter Solstice starts off...

Quick Look Books: Christmas Books (December 2018)

I know it's a little soon after the last QLB to be posting another one, but I'm bringing you December's Quick Look Books a little early so you can get your jolly on. Even though I'm mostly reading Christmas books this month, I don't want to only post reviews of Christmas books because, despite what American commercialism would have you believe, not everyone celebrates Christmas. However, I do love me some Yuletide cheer, so I couldn't let the...